Trenchless construction method cost-effective, says expert

Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, January 9

Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College, Sundernagar, today organised a talk on “Trenchless pipeline technologies” for the final year students of the civil engineering department.

Former college student Vinayak Kaushal, who is doing his PhD from the University of Texas, US, was the main speaker. Currently, he is working under the guidance of Dr Mohammad Najafi, Director, CUIRE, one of the pioneers in the trenchless technology and pipeline construction and renewal systems.

He highlighted the benefits of trenchless construction methods. According to him, conventional open-cut and cover technique is hazardous.

He demonstrated pipe jacking, tunnelling and horizontal directional drilling techniques.

Vinayak Kaushal said the trenchless micro-tunneling concept of pipeline installation was cost-effective as it involved shorter routes, steeper slopes and smaller diameter. He said the technology was already being used in cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Coimbatore.

He said conventional methods cause traffic disruption. In old cities such as Banaras, Kolkata and Mumbai, pipelines were as old as 100 years, which require immediate attention to avoid any catastrophic event, he added.

He further said this new technology could be beneficial to states such as Himachal Pradesh, where roads and highways were narrow. Prof Raman Parti, Director of the college, congratulated Vinayak Kaushal on his achievements. SP Guleria, head of the civil engineering department, thanked him for a valuable lecture.